“We discovered that it was OK to have a little high-brow as long you have a lot of low-brow. That’s entertainment value. The one thing you want to avoid is the middle brow, because the whole world is frigging middle brow at the moment.”
– Jon Langford

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Because It's Not Love (But It's Still A Feeling)

Look I'm the kind of guy who makes jokes at funerals, even, especially, those of my parents. I'm utterly distrustful of mush and generally my cynicism is sharp enough to make a Ginsu seem like a plastic picnic knife.

But I want to be someone else for 24 hours.

I want to believe America actually believes its own hype. I want to think the more optimistic, and more brusque, Declaration of Independence had something more to do with law than international public relations. (They really signed their names to pursuit of happiness?) And while even in my wildest dream I can't say I want to believe that the election of an African American to the presidency has killed off racism, I want to believe it's at least got a flesh wound.

I want to believe we're good. At least more good than not. Most of the time. And that only has to be 51% of the time.

So for one day, let's just let the happiness in, the blindness to the future only hope can bring.

Here's hoping all the days aheadWont be as bitter as the ones behind you.Be an optimist instead,And somehow happiness will find you.Forget what happened yesterday,I know that better things are on the way.

About Me

George markets only for the forces of good for a living. He has a paid hobby that involves eating, drinking, and writing, things he’d do for free, which is almost what he’s doing it for. In a previous life he taught mostly illiterate and generally ungrateful college students how to write. He has been a body guard for Jodie Foster, a walk-on dancer with French avant garde troupe Maguy Marin, a film programmer, a judge at an Iron Chef style competition, a political activist, a textbook author, a bassist in a band, a two-time league winning fantasy baseball manager, a union local president, a pr flack helping run a red carpet at an Angelina Jolie event, a janitor, a chauffeur to folks from TC Boyle to Andrei Codrescu, a delivery man to Plato's Retreat, a reluctant writer of a non-snarky intro for Colin Powell, a radio DJ, a corn detassler, an escort van driver, a rock journalist, a lab assistant for a company that made everything from mouthwash to super skin lubricant, and even, once, a poet. His biggest brush with fame was when Julie Christie fondled his tie, a tie George Lopez belittled to 1000 people minutes later. The best thing about him is his wife. His dogs aren't bad, either.